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Playthings
“They say a skilled puppeteer can manipulate anyone – or anything. With D.I. Russell pulling the strings, you’re the marionette that’s walked through the overgrown pathways and shown the terrors that cut right to humanity’s core. Take his hand, but beware. When he writes horror, he’s not playing around...” Zachary Ashford, author of When the Cicadas Stop Singing .
"They're just dolls, dear. Little girls made of wood and fabric and porcelain. That can't hurt you."
Charlotte Hayes has it a beautiful daughter, a successful husband, an idyllic home in the English countryside. A tragic event forces Charlotte to find her place in a new life thrust cruelly upon her, caught between her overbearing mother and alcoholic younger sister. Struggling with her grief, Charlotte is forced to face her a childhood condition long repressed, distorted memories, and secrets buried by her family.
Yet her sudden misfortunes centre around her husband's latest acquisition, an antique clown doll; a simple toy with its own dark past.
How can you know what's real...when even your memories lie?
Playthings. Time to make believe.
"They're just dolls, dear. Little girls made of wood and fabric and porcelain. That can't hurt you."
Charlotte Hayes has it a beautiful daughter, a successful husband, an idyllic home in the English countryside. A tragic event forces Charlotte to find her place in a new life thrust cruelly upon her, caught between her overbearing mother and alcoholic younger sister. Struggling with her grief, Charlotte is forced to face her a childhood condition long repressed, distorted memories, and secrets buried by her family.
Yet her sudden misfortunes centre around her husband's latest acquisition, an antique clown doll; a simple toy with its own dark past.
How can you know what's real...when even your memories lie?
Playthings. Time to make believe.
- GenresFiction
349 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2021
28 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Daniel I. Russell
53 books151 followersAustralian Shadows Award finalist D.l I. Russell has been featured publications such as The Zombie Feed from Apex, Pseudopod and Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #43. Author of Samhane, Come Into Darkness, Critique, Mother's Boys, The Collector and Tricks, Mischief and Mayhem, D. I. Russell is also the former vice-president of the Australian Horror Writers' Association and was a special guest editor of Midnight Echo.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 15, 2024
Last year I read and absolutely loved Russell's Scream Ride. So I thought I'd check out more of his work. It's all October appropriate, and you can't go wrong with creepy dolls.
And yet this book was not really scream-worthy, nor a particularly great ride. Russell's work is something of a standout in the indie genre scene, but mainly because the rest of the scene features such low overall quality.
Russell's books are decently written, well edited, with on-brand covers, and though they appear self-published, seemed to be pretty professional. Professionalism alone though only takes one so far. Perhaps the fact that mine is only the second review for a book that's been out for years should have been a telling sign.
Anyway, onto the book itself: the plot revolves around a woman who comes undone by the death of a loved one and begins to slowly spiral out. It also involves a creepy clown doll.
It's a better, more complex story that the early chapters lead you to believe, but the uneven writing often landed flat with me, and I really didn't care for the protagonist. User mileage may vary.
And yet this book was not really scream-worthy, nor a particularly great ride. Russell's work is something of a standout in the indie genre scene, but mainly because the rest of the scene features such low overall quality.
Russell's books are decently written, well edited, with on-brand covers, and though they appear self-published, seemed to be pretty professional. Professionalism alone though only takes one so far. Perhaps the fact that mine is only the second review for a book that's been out for years should have been a telling sign.
Anyway, onto the book itself: the plot revolves around a woman who comes undone by the death of a loved one and begins to slowly spiral out. It also involves a creepy clown doll.
It's a better, more complex story that the early chapters lead you to believe, but the uneven writing often landed flat with me, and I really didn't care for the protagonist. User mileage may vary.
October 3, 2021
They say a skilled puppeteer can manipulate anyone – or anything. With D.I. Russell pulling the strings, you’re the marionette that’s walked through the overgrown pathways and shown the terrors that cut right to humanity’s core. Take his hand, but beware. When he writes horror, he’s not playing around..
As always, Russell creates compelling characters, cranks the tension with creepy and horrific scenes, then gets you questioning everything before the twist hits!
An awesome read!
As always, Russell creates compelling characters, cranks the tension with creepy and horrific scenes, then gets you questioning everything before the twist hits!
An awesome read!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews